July 7, 2014

In the Herb Garden in July

Two months ago I rounded up all my pots and my herbs and made a container herb garden. Here's what's happening in the herb garden in July.

Marigolds

I planted some of those pots with seeds - some of the seeds were fresh and some were old - some sprouted and some didn't. I reseeded the empty pots this week and hope that eventually they will all have something growing in them.

Chocolate mint

In other pots, I planted some cuttings from plants I already had. The lemon balm and chocolate mint are doing great. I plan to try some cuttings from my rosemary and lavender plants soon. So far the rosemary plant is doing well.

Several of my plants weren't happy in the full sun site of my herb garden. The advantage of having a container garden is that plants can easily be moved, so the lemon balm, chocolate mint, lavender, and a daisy plant spend the sunny afternoons in an old wheelbarrow under the fruit trees. When I mow the grass, I just move the wheelbarrow.

However, I'm battling grasshoppers. Where I was hoping for lush green plants, there are holey leaves and bitten-off basil. I asked on my gardening forums for advice on fighting grasshoppers organically and really didn't get any answers other than to let my chickens free-range. We have a terrible coyote problem and I can't let the chickens loose, so that remedy is out. I'm trying some other things, and will be writing about them soon.

Calendula with grasshopper damage

Right behind the plant shelf there's a large spiderweb. My first instinct every day is to swipe it away, but I watched a grasshopper land in the web one morning, to the spider's delight - another form of organic grasshopper control.

Sweet basil

Tiny oregano seedlings

Another green basil in the "strawberry pot"

I planted a gourmet blend organic lettuce in tubs near the herb garden, since the garden wasn't ready yet for planting, and I still put the seeds in later than I should have. Since the tubs weren't behind the garden fence, one of the dogs nibbled a few plants. I was disappointed with the small volume of lettuce, but then it began to rain, and rain, and rain some more, and then it got hot, and the lettuce went kind of crazy in the galvanized tubs.

When the lettuce showed signs of wanting to bolt, I harvested the rest of it and we ate it as soon as we could. The tubs are now empty and I'm deciding what to plant in that space next.

There is also a tub of yellow onions planted near the herb garden. Although grasshoppers are attacking the white onions in the garden, so far these are untouched.

The water spigot is to the left. When I turn it on to fill the goats' and horses' troughs, a hole near the top of the hose sprays water like a sprinkler aimed at the herb garden. I've moved plants so that the ones requiring more water are closer to this "automatic watering system" while the herbs requiring less water are farther away. I might as well take advantage of it.

So, in July this is how the herb garden looks. I was expecting more growth, but the grasshopper invasion is probably partly to blame. I'll update you again next month.

Hi. Your Herb Garden looks nice, despite the grasshopper dilemma. I put herbs directly in my garden for the first time as my potted plants never seem to do well. We live in PA where it also gets cold in the winter. I'd love to bring my herbs inside to try and keep them over winter, but I have yet to have anything live very long in our coal-heated house. Do you keep any over winter? Would actually love to get a winter greenhouse to grow stuff all year long!!

Pollkat, wouldn't a greenhouse be wonderful?? I have over-wintered several herbs in the house, in pots in my kitchen window which gets morning sun. Lemon balm, mint, and a few others survived the winter, as well as several tomato cuttings in water.

Your herbs look great! My herb garden is doing well this year, although I never got any basil going. Aren't the lemon balm and chocolate mint fun? They're not as "practical", but they're some of my favorites! :) Thanks for linking up at Simple Lives Thursday! :)

Yes, Kara, the chocolate mint is just for fun. :-) I love smelling that, the lemon balm and the rosemary. Lemon balm is quite useful though. It's antibacterial and antiviral; here are a few things you can do with it: Using Lemon Balm.

Thank you for stopping by. I hope you'll leave a comment - I would love to hear from you. If you wish to email me instead, please click here. Thank you!

Please note that anonymous comments are usually deleted unread because of the high amount of spam. Instead of commenting anonymously, consider choosing the NAME/URL option - just fill in your name, leaving a URL is optional.

Join Us Every Thursday

This Week's Popular Posts

All photos and articles on this blog are copyrighted. You may link to an article (please include a link back to the original site) or PIN my posts on Pinterest, but please do not use my photos and/or articles for any other use without asking. You may not copy an article in its entirety or use a photo without permission. I retain all rights to my photos and content. Thank you.

This site uses cookies from Google to deliver its services, to personalize ads and to analyze traffic. Information about your use of this site is shared with Google. By using this site, you agree to its use of cookies.

Disclaimer: I am not a medical doctor nor a veterinarian. You are responsible for your own health and for that of your animals. Please do your own research before using any products, plants, herbs, and/or essential oils.

Disclosure: Some posts on this blog contain affiliate links. When you purchase a product through these companies, I may receive a small commission, but this does not affect the price you pay. Read my full disclosure here.

Affiliate programs: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Occasionally I receive a product in exchange for a review or a giveaway. The opinions in any review posts are my own, and I will only review and/or give away items that I feel are of value and interest to my readers.